Head of Howdy

About the Role

Roku recently launched Howdy, a new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service designed to deliver quality, comfort content at a great price—ad-free. We’re seeking a dynamic, entrepreneurial leader to serve as the Head of Howdy, acting as the General Manager (GM) of this new direct-to-consumer streaming business.

This role will oversee the overall health of the Howdy business, encompassing subscriber growth, P&L, positioning, pricing, acquisition, retention, partnerships, and day-to-day operations. The Head of Howdy will wake up every morning focused on building and growing this service across Roku and third-party distribution platforms and partnerships. This is a highly cross-functional leadership role with a mandate to build, scale, and evolve a new SVOD offering from the ground up.

For California Only - The estimated annual salary for this position is between $300,000 - $450,000 annually, plus equity. Compensation packages are based on factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, certifications, and specific geographical location. This role is eligible for health insurance, equity awards, life insurance, disability benefits, parental leave, wellness benefits, and paid time off.

What You Will Be Doing

• General Management & P&L Ownership

• Act as the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for Howdy, accountable for overall business performance.
• Drive subscriber acquisition, churn management, lifetime value, and unit economics.
• Develop and manage the annual operating plan, budgets, and forecasts.

• Growth & Marketing

• Partner with internal Roku marketing teams to define and execute the acquisition strategy both on and off Roku’s platform.
• Optimize pricing, packaging, promotional campaigns, and partnerships to maximize subscriber growth.
• Define and test positioning and messaging for the service.

• Content Strategy & Partnerships

• Collaborate with Roku’s central content licensing team to secure compelling titles for Howdy (non-exclusive and select premium licensed content).
• Shape content analytics, promotion, and merchandising to drive acquisition and retention.
• Explore future opportunities for exclusives.

• Product & Operations

• Oversee end-to-end subscriber experience, including onboarding, billing, customer care, and churn mitigation.
• Partner with product and engineering teams to improve the service experience and expand distribution on third-party platforms.
• Facilitate operational scaling as Howdy grows.

• Team Building & Leadership

• Build and lead a small, high-performing matrixed team, including marketing, analytics, operations, and product, as the business scales.
• Collaborate effectively across Roku’s organization, leveraging functional expertise across the company.
• Foster a data-driven, test-and-learn culture.

We're Excited If You Have

• Proven track record of growing and managing a subscription or SVOD business with measurable success in subscriber acquisition, retention, and P&L management.
• 10+ years of experience in general management, streaming services, direct-to-consumer subscription businesses, or adjacent digital media businesses.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort navigating ambiguity and scaling a new business from inception.
• Deep understanding of marketing levers, content economics, and operational drivers of streaming services.
• Experience working in cross-functional environments, ideally in companies with complex partner and platform relationships.
• Strong analytical skills; ability to make data-driven decisions and quickly iterate on strategy.
• Strong leadership and people management skills; ability to attract and inspire top talent.
• Experience in building international business
• Preferred: Experience with multi-platform distribution and partnerships with major players.

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